Chapter 254
#29. Other People's Stories (1)
1. Their Circumstances: A Certain Goddess's Circumstances
"Blow it all away."
Even though I said I was a goddess, my appearance was consistently irreverent.
"Is an evil spirit also a god?"
"I am a god! Evil! God! And even before that, I was a god!"
"You were a nuisance god."
"I can't deny that!"
Even before being called an evil spirit, during the time when I was referred to as the goddess of greed and desire, I never heard anything good.
Was it because I pursued instincts over reason, saying and doing whatever I wanted to the followers, as if preaching the doctrine of pursuing instincts?It was a religion that many criminals among the warlike demons believed in.
Even among the kids who were supposed to be priests, there were cases of secretly embezzling donations sent to their demon sisters.
There was even a time when the demon sister, who was happily watching over the embezzlement scene, had to intervene with a stranglehold.
"That's why even a master without morals could be accepted as a disciple with a broad heart!"
"Who asked to be accepted?"
"Honestly, the master should be in a position to be grateful to me. If it weren't for me, you would have died long ago!"
This wasn't a lie.
The master created a situation where he had no choice but to be in such a state, just like a master with a collapsed personality. Was it because he had a hero's life in the middle?
"Why?"
"A long time ago, when the master used a strange ability from a past life, the master lost the power of being an extraplanar being and became an ordinary person."
Did the creators make a slight mistake when they made the world? Originally, beings that shouldn't enter sometimes entered.
Although summoning magic connected dimensions in this world, it wasn't magic powerful enough to summon gods from other worlds.
The gods of this world exist, so why would gods from another world come? It was a significant event that could disrupt the balance of the world, and indeed, the balance of the world wavered when gods from another world were summoned.
And the master was no exception. I don't know what kind of power he had from another world, but it was a power that the regulations created by the gods did not apply to.
Thanks to that, the world cut off the master from its laws, and since he was originally an extraplanar being, even the fragment of evil held by the imperial princess couldn't touch the master.
But it was different after the master used his ability.
Even though he used it only once, the ability disappeared cleanly, and the master, who lost his uniqueness, had to become an ordinary human.
"If I didn't make the master my disciple, if I didn't give part of my power to the master, the master would have died being torn apart by the souls that died with the fragments of evil!"
Because I had been watching all along, it was just a name to call him the master and nothing more, but originally, he was a god.
"Why did you make me your disciple?"
"It's because you wanted to be alive, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then, you should be grateful to the goddess of life who is your benefactor!"
I didn't make him my disciple to demand a price. I helped him because I wanted to, and he, who was originally an extraplanar being, was now required to obey the laws of this world. The fragment of evil that the imperial princess held couldn't touch him either.
But after the master used his ability, everything changed.
Even though he used it only once, the ability disappeared cleanly, and the master, who lost his uniqueness, had to become an ordinary human.
"That's why, be grateful to the goddess of life and your savior!"
If it weren't for me, he would have already died in the past.
Well then,
"Quickly, show gratitude to the goddess of life, your benefactor!"
He should apologize for everything he did.
For his disrespectful behavior towards the goddess.
"Isn't all of that your fault?"
"Huh?"
It's clearly the timing to apologize! He was saved, so he should say thank you! But instead, the master took the initiative and attacked.
"Evil has appeared in the world. And the gods sealed it."
"R-Really?"
"Who broke the seal?"
"…Was it me?"
"Yeah, it was you. And what is this thing called the fragment of evil?"
"Uh, when I was sealed, the evil energy that escaped from me gathered to other races?"
"Yeah. So why did the fragment of evil appear?"
"Because there was evil in the world?"
"No. It's because some idiot released evil into the world!"
"Ouch!"
"Yeah, it's all your fault! Because of you, I almost died. You should be grateful that I saved you, right? Don't make me laugh. You should apologize. You should apologize for almost killing me!"
Wait… this is not right….
Why did I suddenly become the one who has to apologize? I was clearly trying to receive an apology! Why did the situation suddenly turn into me apologizing?
"Why should I?"
"If the master still has a bit of humanity left, the master should apologize! You should apologize for the fact that you almost killed me!"
Huh… This is not what I expected.
Why did it suddenly become a situation where I have to apologize? I was clearly trying to get an apology! Why did the situation suddenly turn into me apologizing?
"Why should I apologize?"
"For everything! Where is the volcano?"
"I apologize! I was wrong! I'm sorry! I've caused trouble by releasing the seal!"
In the past, my angry sister had given everything to seal me.
Thanks to her, I could barely wake up after thousands of years, but I still wasn't completely resurrected.
The reason I could resurrect was because there was still a trace of the divine in me. If that wasn't the case, I would have to sleep for at least a thousand more years after losing this body.
If I make a mistake, I might never wake up again.
So I have to beg.
To live, I must beg.
If I die, it's only a loss for me.
It's no use being stubborn and dying.
The master, who had been watching me for a long time, learned what he learned and put it into practice.
"Reflection?"
"I am reflecting!"
"….."
"Fine. So, do I have to forgive? Back then, the princess stuck to me like glue. I'm still a fugitive because of that incident, you know?"
Wow, look at that attitude.
Honestly, everything related to the princess was the owner's fault.
If the owner hadn't saved the princess?
The empire wouldn't be in the position it is now.
The reason the empire became an unrivaled nation that no one dared to touch was not just because they won in the war, but because they won the war perfectly.
Among the victorious nations, no one had a military power as moderate as the empire.
Victorious, yet in a state of complete disarray.
In a situation where the defeated nations had suffered losses due to the excessive demands of compensation and, if the empire demanded something, the defeated nations had to comply unconditionally, and even the victorious nations had to move under the empire's watchful eye.
Thanks to the enormous reparations received from the defeated nations, the empire became stronger, and the power of the princess, who pursued the owner, reached unimaginable levels.
Humans call this kind of situation ‘reaping what you sow.'
Yes, it's all the owner's doing.
Saved the princess who was supposed to die, brought victory to the empire, gave a younger sister to the disciple, disrupting the balance of the world.
All of this was the result of the owner's actions.
Whether desired or not, the small actions of the owner accumulated and resulted in a butterfly effect.
In other words, it's all the owner's fault.
The owner is the bad one! I'm not at fault!
"I'm sorry… It's all my fault… Please forgive me…"
But the most important thing is that I have no power.
Sigh…
Apologizing to the Apostle of the Gods, a god that was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Thinking about the known evil spirits in the world, ordinary people wouldn't even be able to imagine such a thing.
In reality, I only bowed my head once since the creation of the world, and that was when my younger sister barged in when the lid was open.
Even to the senior god, I never bowed my head. Bowed my head to a human? Well, it's kind of exciting!
"Well… Since I've apologized…"
"Just for now… You'll bring it up later, won't you…"
"Of course. There's no way I'll forgive you here when you threatened my life."
"Wow…"
After witnessing all this, the owner, who looked kind in a way, seemed amusing for some reason.
I might not have chosen the owner as an apostle and fled if it weren't for the fact that the owner and I were bound in various ways.
"Think wisely."
"What now?"
"The ones taking us are elves. You know that, right?"
"Of course."
"Do you know which god the elves serve?"
"The owner…?"
After surpassing the threat, another threat is emerging.
Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of moderation in threats?
I should throw a carrot while whipping. It shouldn't be just whipping all the time!
"Ask anything you want!"
"You're a goddess, after all. Maybe because you're a god, you seem to understand the situation properly."
I wondered what kind of existence the god in the owner's head was, but I didn't bring it up.
After a moment of silence, the owner asked what he was curious about.
"What is an Apostle of Evil? Are there good and bad aspects to it?"
"An Apostle is a being chosen by a god to lend a part of their power. Saying that the relationship between the owner and me is a proper one between a god and an Apostle is a bit, no, quite ambiguous."
"Ambiguous?"
"Yeah. For now, I barely maintain the status of a deity, completely stripped of my soul and even my divinity to serve the owner. In other words, I can't lend any power to the owner."
"So, it means you're useless."
"Thanks to that, I'm alive! Originally, the moment I was recognized as a resident of this world, the owner would have died from the souls of the fragments of evil!"
"…?"
The owner momentarily closed his mouth and seemed lost in thought.
Was there something to feel after hearing the story twice? Yes, there should be.
If he's not an animal or a person, if he's not an animal but an animate being!
"Hey, if I hadn't become your Apostle, I could have been recognized as a resident of this world, and I could have used magic, right?"
Certainly, this human is not an ordinary one. He's an animal who doesn't appreciate kindness!
"Oh, no! You saved my life! Isn't that important?"
"Of course! How painful it was not being able to use magic all this time!"
Looking at his expression, he really seemed to have suffered.
"But, still, isn't it nice to have a cute goddess with you instead of magic?"
"Don't need it!"
"Straightforward?"
I felt a bit hurt.
"Isn't that too much? We've been together all this time as partners! As soul companions!"
"An Apostle of Evil and a Soul Companion! I hear voices everywhere in every temple chasing me away!"
Another place to run away from. The owner, who sighed about the increasing number of places to run away to, held me by the collar and shook me, demanding I release my magic.
"Release your magic!"
"Oh, it's too late since the fragments of evil have already settled in your body! And do you know if magic gathers in an instant? Even if you start practicing magic from now on, you won't learn a single spell until the owner dies!"
"Darn! Is it too late already…? Then, how do I use this thing called the fragment of evil? I can use some strange technique like a demon king, right?"
"Well… there is a way…"
The fragment of evil contains the desires of each race.
What the owner has is the desire that dragons have.
In other words,
"If the owner uses the fragment of evil… he can seduce women incredibly well."
"What? That's…"
The one thing that dragons, the supreme race and a wealth-driven race, didn't possess was only one. The reproduction of the race.
"Dragons have the desire to have many children. So, they have the ability to seduce the opposite sex well."
"…Is that it?"
"Yep."
Looking at the owner's expression, he really seemed upset.
"Even so, it's better to have a cute goddess like you with me, right?"
"Not needed!"
"Is it a direct response?"
I felt a bit hurt.
"Isn't that too much? We've been together all this time as partners! As soul companions!"
"An Apostle of Evil and a Soul Companion! I hear voices everywhere in every temple chasing me away!"
Another place to run away from. It took an hour to calm down the owner, who threatened to throw me towards Volcano.